When doctors won't tell . . .
Of all the online nutritional information, nutritional facts, medical and
dietary sites there are to choose from, in an article entitled "How
to ease the pain" The Sunday Times magazine,
Culture, published a list of just five websites it
considered reliable and informative.This site was one of that five.

CONDITIONS
AND DISEASES PREVENTED AND HELPED BY A LOW-CARB, HIGH-FAT DIET

"NH&WL may be the best non-technical book on diet ever
written"
Joel Kauffman, PhD, Professor Emeritus, University of the Sciences,
Philadelphia, PA

Fructose: A Recipe For Hypertension

A diet high in fructose, the type of sugar found
principally in fruit, as well as high fructose corn
syrup, table sugar, and honey increases the risk of
developing high blood pressure (hypertension),
according to a paper presented at the American Society
of Nephrology's 42nd Annual Meeting and Scientific
Exposition in San Diego, California. The findings
suggest that cutting back on processed foods and
beverages that contain high fructose corn syrup (HFCS)
may help prevent hypertension.

Over the last 200 years, the rate of fructose intake
has directly paralleled the increasing rate of obesity,
diabetes and other diseases, which have increased
dramatically in the last 20 years. Today, Americans
consume 30% more fructose than 20 years ago and up to
four times more than 100 years ago, when obesity rates
were less than 5%. While this increase mirrors the
dramatic rise in the prevalence of hypertension,
studies have been inconsistent in linking excess
fructose in the diet to hypertension.

Diana Jalal, MD (University of Colorado Denver
Health Sciences Center), and her colleagues studied the
issue in a large representative population of US
adults. They examined 4,528 adults 18 years of age or
older with no prior history of hypertension. Fructose
intake was calculated based on a dietary questionnaire,
and foods such as fruit juices, soft drinks, bakery
products, and candy were included. Dr. Jalal's team
found that people who ate or drank more than 74 grams
per day of fructose (2.5 sugary soft drinks per day)
increased their risk of developing hypertension.
Specifically, a diet of more than 74 grams per day of
fructose led to a 28%, 36%, and 87% higher risk for
blood pressure levels of 135/85, 140/90, and 160/100
mmHg, respectively. (A normal blood pressure reading is
below 120/80 mmHg.)

"These results indicate that high fructose intake in
the form of added sugars is significantly and
independently associated with higher blood pressure
levels in the US adult population with no previous
history of hypertension," the authors concluded.
Additional studies are needed to see if low fructose
diets can normalize blood pressure and prevent the
development of hypertension.

While this study picks out HCFS in particular as a
cause of the modern rise in hypertension, however,
current dietary guidelines which exhoirt us all to eat
more fruit could also be a contributory factor.

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Disclaimer: Second Opinions is the website of Barry Groves PhD, offering online nutritional facts and online nutritional information. This website should be used to support rather than replace medical advice advocated by physicians.sitemap